Professional Cuddler Opens Shop In Portland

Have you ever wanted to cuddle with a stranger? Now you can.Samantha Hess came up with the idea for her unique business after being in a dark place. According to her, “I was at a place where I thought paying someone to hug me and not have ulterior motives sounded like a great idea…I decided why can’t this be a thing that we can easily and safely reach for?”

As a result of their being no competition in the cuddling market, Samantha opened up her business, Cuddle Up To Me, in Portland, Oregon. However, Hess admits that it was difficult to find a landlord that trusted her business model, as most people just assumed that the cuddling was to cover up, you know, sex.

Apparently it’s not. Clients are asked to sign waivers stating that they will be clean, courteous, and keep their clothes on. In fact, there is even a meet and greet before the cuddling session.

According to Hess, “People always think that there’s upgrades or, you know, additional services that we provide, and that’s not true…It’s a simple service. It’s the same for a man or a woman. We are a family-oriented service. We’re not adult-oriented in any way. We just make people feel love and accepted for who they are.”

Before Hess opened her shop she would meet clients at whatever location they chose. Now, her studio offers four different rooms to cuddle in, each equipped with cameras for the safety of her employees. That’s right. She recently hired three other women who are becoming trained in the fine art of platonic touching.

Each hour-long session costs about $60, and everyone can cuddle differently.

“We can customize each session depending on your comfort level,” said Hess. “So, I have people who will come in and we won’t touch at all. We’ll just sit and read together.”